Project Management

[Simon Edmondson]

I asked a few months ago about file structures for people working on a project and was very appreciative of the responses received. I'm trying to plan a project which I hope to spend next year working on, could anyone kindly point me to a resource for overseeing the running of a complete project? I have no real experience in this area and have always relied on memory and catching up when needed. I'd like to try to do it better this time. Its not so much the particular details of individual areas such as models but the overall structure of a project and how to keep track of it as it unfolds?

Any help gratefully received. Thank you.

regards

simon

[Rodney]

This is a tough question to answer because the best Project Management tool is going to be the one that best fits with your approach. This could be as simple as using a notepad or as complex as you want it to be (i.e. for use in broad based collaborations).

 

My feeling on this is that since it is a first time launching out into the field of project management you may want to consider some of this effort as Research and Development for future projects. In other words, what you learn in managing this project will be of great assistance to you for subsequent efforts.

 

Having said this I remain stuck between the ultra simple of simply writing everything out onto notebooks and taking the plunge toward asset management tools such as Tactic. Exploring a few of the available tools will certainly help you refine your approach to project management.

 

A midrange solution between notepads and huge software programs is a simple spreadsheet. With a spreadsheet you gain the benefit of search and data organization capabilities that you can't by writing on notepads.

 

Something that many people do is paste up storyboards on their walls so they have an immediate visual representation of where their project is at any given moment. It's also a constant reminder that work needs to be done as well as a source of inspiration (if you think something is lacking in the storyboard... temporarily add something into that gap). This could start with 3x5 cards with a few words on them and over time transform into an animated storyboard (animatic).

 

I would encourage you to do a little of all of these until you settle in with what works best for you in project management.

You'll soon discover which methods are of most use to you.

 

*As you'd be learning valuable management skills I do suggest taking a look at Tactic. (Here's an overview of Tactic)

[Simon Edmondson]

This is a tough question to answer because the best Project Management tool is going to be the one that best fits with your approach. This could be as simple as using a notepad or as complex as you want it to be (i.e. for use in broad based collaborations)....

 

*As you'd be learning valuable management skills I do suggest taking a look at Tactic. (Here's an overview of Tactic)

 

 

Rodney

Thank you once again for your help.

I've spent the afternoon looking up project management sites and watching videos. I'm presently following your advice and mapping it out in simple form with pencil and paper, trying to think of the various things that have to be considered and kept track of. I've never used a spreadsheet but will have to learn. Thank you for the link to Tactic, I shall follow it up this evening.

 

The storyboard is being developed slowly and should be ready by Christmas or the New Year in rough form. Once that is finalised it should start to fall into place ( thats the hope anyway ). Its keeping track of it all , the revisions, changes, models, props, characters and... all the rest of it. Still, its got to be done.

regards

simon

[NancyGormezano]

Its not so much the particular details of individual areas such as models but the overall structure of a project and how to keep track of it as it unfolds?

 

I particularly like keeping it simple, ie using a spreadsheet type table/list. I like what Holmes did for Scarecrow of Oz. It works for having lots of people working on the project, or just 1. (The following assumes you have your script/storyboard fleshed out to a reasonable amount so that you can analyze and itemize what's needed to be done).

 

Holmes had a separate spread sheet (or table) for each phase of the Project: 1) Production, 2) Animation, 3) Lighting, 4) Rendering, 5) Edit & Foley

 

For production, he divided it up into sub-phases: 1) Design, 2) Model, 3) Rig, 4) Texture, 5) Voice Dialog, songs, music if required for animating

For each phase of production he categorized the models needed by TYPE (characters, sets, props) and listed each model under the appropriate type. He maintained who was assigned to that model in that phase, and the status of completion for that sub-phase

 

For the animation phase, he listed each scene, and maintained who was assigned and the status

 

For lighting phase, he had 2 separate tables 1) Lighting by set (lighting was the same whenever the set was used) and 2) lighting by scene (lighting was changed or made specific to the scene)

 

For rendering phase: listed by scene, and the status with notes as to what needed to be fixed for re re re re re re re...rendering.

 

Edit phase was primarily for Foley and Background music work and integrating everything together in Premiere, Aftereffects and presumably there was also more re re re re re re re...rendering.

 

EDIT: I would post the final pdf's which reflect the organization/itemization/tracking so that you could see exactly what was done - but I'm not sure if that would be kosher, since it was Holmes' work product.

Edited November 20, 2012 by NancyGormezano

[Rodney]

Great breakdown Nancy!

[Simon Edmondson]

I particularly like keeping it simple, ie using a spreadsheet type table/list. I like what Holmes did for Scarecrow of Oz. ...

 

Holmes had a separate spread sheet (or table) for each phase of the Project: 1) Production, 2) Animation, 3) Lighting, 4) Rendering, 5) Edit & Foley

 

...

EDIT: I would post the final pdf's which reflect the organization/itemization/tracking so that you could see exactly what was done - but I'm not sure if that would be kosher, since it was Holmes' work product.

 

 

Nancy

 

Thank you very much indeed for that.

As they used to say in my home area, "Thats Champion" !

Thank you.

Simon

[largento]

If you're the lone person on your project, then I'd say tailor it to your own work habits ...or account for your own bad work habits. Think about what things have worked well in the past and things where you could have done better.

 

For me, I had a real problem with asset management. I'd keep saving newer versions of models as I made changes to them and I was always having to ask myself which version of which was the right one. Once I'd figured out a directory structure, I went about making sure that only the latest and greatest models were put in and were named simply.

 

Working on my own, I found I didn't need as much as far as planning, since it was going to be me doing everything. I did have the luxury of having been very familiar with the story and having drawn it as a comic at least three times in the years before I worked on it.

 

I found the structure worked great for me and made the rest of the production much more efficient.

[Simon Edmondson]

If you're the lone person on your project, then I'd say tailor it to your own work habits ...or account for your own bad work habits. ...

 

For me, I had a real problem with asset management. I'd keep saving newer versions of models as I made changes to them and I was always having to ask myself which version of which was the right one....

 

Working on my own, I found I didn't need as much as far as planning, since it was going to be me doing everything. I did have the luxury of having been very familiar with the story and having drawn it as a comic at least three times in the years before I worked on it.

 

I found the structure worked great for me and made the rest of the production much more efficient.

 

 

 

Mark

Thank you for your reply.

Initially it was only going to be me making it but, I'm hoping to get some other people involved too so I really need to make sure my bad practices are eased. I'm glad its not just me that has problems with saving multiple versions of models !

I'm hoping to get it fully scripted and story boarded by the new year and thats when the real difficulties will start I'm sure.

regards

simon

[largento]

Simon,

 

Having that done will give you the ability to make lists of what assets you'll need.

 

I made folders for the different assets I knew from experience that I'd have.

 

You can see what I came up with here.

[Gerry]

Hi Simon- A very low-level practice that I'm trying to adhere to is really simple and great if it's a one-person project: write down a schedule, give yourself deadlines for each task. this isn't the same as an elaborate management scheme but it sure helps!

 

Also, adding on to what Mark mentioned about naming conventions for models etc., I've gotten into the habit of naming models for what's been done on them, e.g., "Skarab_geometryonly.mdl", "Skarab_cpsWeighted.mdl", "Skarab_weightedAndDecaled_v1.mdl" , "Skarab_weightedAndDecaled_v2.mdl" and the main thing is, when it's done, it's simply "Skarab.mdl" and that's the final model.

 

If I need to do additional work, or, say, an arm or hand is wonky, I'll take the final model and "Save as..." as something like "Skarab_handTesting.mdl" and when it's fixed and done, that one gets named "Skarab.mdl" and I overwrite the original final version. But there's *always* only one final model so I don't get confused by different versions.

[Shelton]

Simon

 

You can also look at celtx desktop software, Chris and I are looking at using it for our next project.

 

Steve

[markw]

Lots of good advice coming for us all here Simon.

My small contribution here would be, no matter how you organize stuff on your computer NEVER be tempted to make a folder called "Miscellaneous", it will just turn into a black hole sucking every thing in!

All things have their proper place! If something could go happily in more than one folder then this is where using Aliases/Shortcuts back to the original helps so that it can appear in more than one folder.

On your Mac you can colour code your files too for example any assets that are currently "in use", for example in a Chor, I have as Red just to remind me not to tamper with them.

 

And as with all things;

"Research your own experience, absorb what is useful, reject what is useless and add what is uniquely your own".

Bruce Lee.

[Simon Edmondson]

Mark, Gerry, Steve and Mark

 

Thank you for your helpful responses.

Its starting to get a bit daunting as I begin to realise the full extent of what might be involved. Still, nothing ventured , nothing gained, as the old saying goes. In truth, working by myself for so long I've picked up a lot of bad habits without realising it and they are mainly what have to be overcome. Your help will go a long way towards that.

Thank you.

simon

[Gerry]

In truth, working by myself for so long I've picked up a lot of bad habits without realising it and they are mainly what have to be overcome.

I think that's something we all need to work on!

[Simon Edmondson]

In my trawling yesterday. I found this, it does echo a lot of what has been said here too....

simon

 

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

 

 

 

10.5. Industry Tip: Animation Project Management

 

Project management concepts are not limited to the dry, dull, world of corporate business. You can apply them to any size animation project to help you meet your deadline goals. Tim Kelly, lead visual effects instructor at the Art Institute of Las Vegas, offers his advice in this area:

 

Remember to constantly review your sketches, scripts, storyboards, and any other pre-production materials during production. Nothing is worse than finding out at the last minute that you missed a detail, causing you to have to go in and redo your work. If you're thinking of skipping preproduction planning, reconsider. Time spent up front can save you time on the back end.

 

Start scheduling early, and continually check and update your schedule before and during your working sessions. Usually, your client will want a schedule before you start working, and you will be held to it. Be realistic with your schedule, but at the same time keep yourself under reasonable pressure to get the job done.

 

Pad your time estimations, keeping Murphy's Law in mind. Build extra time into your schedule for revisions, glitches, bugs, errors, crashes, and so on. It is not unrealistic to add an extra 20 percent into your time estimations for unforeseen complications.

 

As for items to include in your schedule, don't limit yourself to rendering. You'll probably want to include the time necessary for conceptual artwork, scripts, storyboards, animatics, modeling, texturing, rigging, character animation, lip sync, lighting, test renders, revisions, file management, system upgrades, backups, client correspondence, editing, color correction, video transfer, and so on.

 

Keep your files organized. Create a single master folder for a project. Consider keeping your daily work sessions in a subfolder with a name and date on it. Within that folder, consider creating additional subfolders for scene files, reference, and so on. Consider building a project-specific texture library, in which each character, set, or prop has its own subfolder. Consider creating a separate folder for renders, with subfolders for each shot or element.

 

Pick a naming convention at the beginning of a project and stick with it. If a texture is named house_wall_v01.tif at the beginning, you should follow the same naming convention at the end. Including a version number, v01, helps to differentiate between multiple copies of the same file.

 

Whenever you make significant changes to anything in your project, save a new file and name it to reflect the change. Back up your project on multiple, physically separate mediums. For instance, you can make a copy of your project directory on a second system drive, and then make an additional copy on a DVD or external hard drive. If a project is particularly critical, consider storing your DVDs in a physically safe location, such as a fireproof safe. Whatever backup method you choose, never rely on a single backup. When a project is wrapped, create several master backups of all the project materials. It is not unusual to reuse parts of one project on a second project. Although such backups may seem a bit paranoid and time consuming, consider how much time you will be putting in on the project.